Alun Cairns MP has met with local British-Afghans outside his constituency office in Barry to discuss the evacuation of relatives from Kabul.

With over 18 Afghan families in Barry and elsewhere in the Vale, the issue has naturally come to the centre of the MP’s political efforts as he seeks to help those whose lives are at risk.

Under the UK Government’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), the current focus of efforts is on Afghans who have supported British efforts in Afghanistan, including interpreters and other personnel.

The Vale MP commented at the meeting: "We are doing all we can to give the Afghan community in Barry the support they need. My team and I are passing on information of relatives in Barry to the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the British Embassy in Kabul in order to ensure their relatives are evacuated to safety.

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"Naturally, there is an increased demand for our help, and it has been a massive challenge to support them where we can. We are doing everything we can to provide assistance and get refuge for their relatives."

PC Teilo Richardson and PC Steve Powell from the Neighbourhood Policing Team were also present to reiterate their support to the Afghan community in Barry, following signs of hostility towards them on some social media platforms. The local policing team gave information on the support that they can offer if they ever face racist abuse or any hate crime following the Afghanistan refugee crisis.

With the situation on the ground in Kabul ever changing, and with a tight deadline approaching it is a difficult situation to manage. For those who are seeking support, they can contact Alun by email on alun.cairns.mp@parliament.uk.

In this email, you are requested to provide your full name, address and confirmation of whether you are a British citizen. In addition, you should include information for family members including their full name, date of birth, nationality, their relationship to you, Home Office reference number, passport or travel document details, and any visa information.